Electric-railway safety device.



E. J. DUNNE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1912. 1,051,091. Patented Jan. 21, 1913.

' 2SHEETSSHEET 1. r

Q) 4 Qt DV 0 wi lmeooeo E. J. DUNNE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLIUATION FILED JULY 3, 1912. 1,051,091 Patented Jan.21, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

EDWARD J. DUNNE, 0E JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY S AFETY DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. DUNNE, a citizen of the United States, residingat Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- Railway Safety Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others'skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, andto letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a art of this specification.

y invention relates to electrically operated mechanism applicable to electric railway lines that cross railway and highway draw-bridges, and comprises a combination of devices by means of which when the bridge draw opens electric circuit is broken.

and so operates a danger signal in conjunction with means for operating a derailing switch, or other device, to change the direction of motion or arrest the progress of railway vehiclesbefore theycan reach-the draw of the bridge.

I have illustrated my invention diagrammaticallynn the accompanying drawings,

wherein like parts are similarly designated,

and in 'which Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a mechanism embodying my invention in the position assumed when the draw of the bridge is closed; and Fig. 2 is a similar diagram showing the same mechanism in the position assumed when the draw of the bridge is open.

In the drawings, 1, 2, 3, and 4 illustrate the rails of a double track trolley line, which are made continuous across the draw,

' representedat A of any type of bridge that,

is opened for the passage of water traffic; these rails are, as usual, bonded together, and preferably'form a metallic. return for the current.

5 and 6 are the conductors or trolley wires, one-for each track, extending to the draw.

7 and 8 illustrate those portions of the trolley'wires 5 and 6 respectively, that are carriedby the draw of the bridge and move with it when the draw is operated. These bridge trolley wires 7 and 8 are electrically Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 21, 1913.

Aiiplication'filed July 3,1912. Serial No.'707,584.

connected by cross conductors 9, and are provlded with contacts or bridge pans dia-' grammatically shown at P, and of any suitable construction,

Trolley wires 5 and 6 are each provided with an 1nsulator,.air' gap, or equivalent, 10,

which is placed some distance from the draw A of the bridge, for example, about 500 or 1000 feet, more or less, so as to cause that section of the trolley wire beyond the insulation 10 in the direction of travel and adjacent the draw to be dead when the draw is open, thereby providing the insulated sections 6 and 5' for the trolley wires 5 and 6, respectively.- Back of theinsulation 10 I connect anauxiliary trolley wire 11 ex tending to near the draw. Connected to the insulated sections, 6 or 5 is a wire 12 connectedto a winding, solenoid, or the like, 13, whose other end is electrically connected to a resistance 14, which in turn is connected by wire 15 to one of the rails, as 1 or 4,-respectively, acting as a metallic return for the electric. circuit, or for grounding the current. The live section, or auxiliary trolley wire. 11, has connected to it a wire 16 leading to a stationary contact 17. Op 0- site the stationary contact 17 is a mova le contact 18 connected, to a wire 19 leading to one end of a winding, solenoid, or equivalent device, 20, whose opposite endus'cofi' not shown." The tail 25 of the semaphore 1s "TOPIIOSItG the movable contact 18, and when the semaphore operates, said movable contact 18 is moved against the stationary'contact 17 to close circuit to the solenoid.20 whose movable core 26 is mechanically connected to the movable member 27 of a derailing switch that is normally held in inoperative position by a coil spring 28 or other device,

I customarily us'ed. Connected to wire 15 is a wire 29 leading to a contact 30. The lower end of core 13 of magnet 13 is mechanically connected to a switch arm 31 pivoted at any suitable point, as 32, and said switch arm is arranged so as to be raised when the semaphore drops to electrically connect contact 30 to a stationary contact 33 that is in electrical connection with the resistance 14.

'lnto inoperative Connected to wire 19 by means of wire 34 are suitable lamps 35, which in turn are connected by wire 36 to the return rail.

The operation is as follows :When the draw A is opened, circuit is broken at the bridge pans P in the trolley wires 5 and 6. The trolley of a trolley-car approaching the open'bridge from the left hand side passes onto the insulated or dead section 6*, and its motors will stop for lack of current-I There will be no' current inwire 12 to energize magnet 13. 'The semaphore.23 will drop of its own weight and close movable contact 18 against the stationary contact 17, thereby closing the electrical circuit from the auxiliary trolley wire 11 through wire 16, stationary contact 17, movable'contact'18', wire 19, solenoid 20, wire 21, to return rail, thereby operating the core 26 to operate the'movable member 27 of the dia 'rammatically shown derailing switch; at t e same. time the lamps 35 will be illumined, as they are contained in a circuit 34, 35, 36, in parallel or shunt with the aforementioned circuit; At the same time resistance '14 is cut out of circuit with the magnet 13 by the switcharm 31 bridging contacts 30 and 33. In order to illumine the car at. night during the time the draw is open, the trolley must be shifted from the main trolley wire, 6, 6, to the auxiliary trolley wire 11. As soon as the draw closes,

the bridge pans efi'ect electrical contact through wires '7 and 8 and cross wires 9 to the dead sections 5 and 6% Current will then pass through wire 12, to the solenoid 13, contact 33, switch .31, wire 29, and wire 15 to return rail, thereby energizing the solenoid 13 to draw in its core 13, thereby opening the electrical circuit at 17 18, to

release jthe npvable member 27 of the derailing switch fiidpern it it to be moved positionbydtsgpring 28, and at the same time disconnects contact 33 from 30 so as to place resistance 14 in series with the solenoid 13 and thereby decrease the current through the solenoid 13 from actuating current to a value sufiicient to hold the semaphore in the position shown in Fig. 1. By reason of the semaphore being lifted, contact is broken between 17 and 18, and the lamps 35 are extinguished.

I claim 1. The combination with an electric railway having a current return rail, and a draw-bridge over which said railway passes, the draw of said bridge containing a portion of the electric conductor or trolley wire movable therewith to interrupt the conductor or trolley wire; of a section of said conductor or trolley wire immediately adjacent said draw rendered dead by the open ing of said draw, an auxiliary live conductor or trolley wire parallel with said section, a winding connected between said sec-' when thefidraw is opened; of a section of tion and rail, a core in said winding, asi nal connected to the core, and an electrica y operated derailing switch placed in electrical circuit between said auxiliary trolley wire and said rail by said signal. 7o

2. The combination with an electric railway and a draw bridge over which said railway passes, the draw of said bridge containing a portion of the electric conductor a or trolley wire that is movable therewith; of a section of said conductor or trolley wire immediately adjacent said draw rendered dead by the opening of the draw, an auxiliary trolley wire parallel with said section and maintained energized under all condilions of operation, an electric signal included between said section and return rail operable when said section is rendered currentless by the opening of the draw, and an electrically operated derailing switch 'included between the auxiliary trolley wire and said rail, and set in operation by said signal. Y

3. The combination .with an electric rail way, and a draw bridge .over which said railway passes, the draw of said bridge con tainin a portion of the electric'conductor or tro ley wire .thatis movable therewith to interrupt the-conductor or trolley wire said conductor ortrolley wire immediately adjacentsaid draw rendered dead by the. opening of saiddraw, an auxiliary live con-- ductor or trolley wire parallel with said section, an electrically operated signal, operated and rendered currentless b the opening of the draw, and an electrical y 0 rated derailing switch' controlled by the s1 al.

I 4. The combination with an elctrlc railway having 'a current return rail, and a draw bridge over which said railway passes, the draw of said brid e containin a por=,.= tion of said electric con actor or tro ley wire that is movable therewith;. of a section of said conductor or trolle wire; rendered dead by the opening of sai draw, an auxiliary trolley w1re connected to said conductor at a point back of said section, an electrically operated signal included between'said section andlgl maintained in inactive position by current from said section, a resistance, a switch connebtedlto said signal to place said resistance in electrical connection with said signal after it has been moved to inoperative position, and an electrically op- 12o erated derailing switch and signal lamps Slm'ultaneously controlled by said signal.

5. The combination wit an electric railway and a bridge having a movable section over which said railway asses, said section containing a portion of the electric conductor or trolley wire that is movable therewith; of a second portion of said conductor or trolley wire immediately adjacent said movable section of the bridge rendered dead by the opening of the movable section, an auxiliary trolley wire parallel with said second portion and maintained energized under all conditions of operation, and an electric 'signal supplied with current from said second portion of trolley wire, and a derailingswitch, both operated when 'said second portion is rendered currentless by the movement of the bridge Section.

6. The combination with an electric railway and a bridge having a movable section over which said railway passes, said section containing a port-ion of the electric conductor or trolley wire that is movable therewith; of a second portion of said conductor or trolleywire immediately adjacent said movable section of the bridge rendered.

dead by the opening of said movable section, an auxiliary trolley wire parallel wlth said second portion and maintained energized under all conditions of operation, and two devices, one of which is an electric signal and the other an electrically-operated de-railing switch, means for supplying current to said devices, the operatlon of one of said devices being dependent upon the operation of the other. o

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD J. DUNNE. Witnesses:

R. E. SLATTEBY, H. F. Bonn. Y 

